Ball inflating and sealing method



March 1, 1960 I I I I I R. J. DQRN BALL INFLATING AND SEALING METHOD Filed April 5, 1957 IIIIIIIII IIIHI 59 m\\\\\\\\\\\ ggl: ii\kp \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\m B E 4/ Randogah JDoru BY J 5,, foam ATTORNEYS United States Patent 22,926,705 fBALLINFLA'I'INGANDSEKLING .ME'I'HOD Randolph J. .Dorn,.Sandusky, 0hio, assigno1- to The Barr Rubber Rroducts Comp ,,.:Sandusky, .Ohio, as corpoliltiOllOf Ohio Application April 3, 1957, Serial .No. $650,513 2lClaims. (Cl.'. 141-5,)

comprising the ball. 'It is. also conceivable that aproi cedure maybe followedtin which.articles are set in their ipreliminaryform and .inflation to final size .is accomplished'hy sufficientlyfhig'h, pressure.

The use of the technique ofifinally-iormingthe article by inflation following preliminary forming .has been narrowly limited by the problem ofobtaining adequatesealing'of the relatively thinwalliof the ifiillyinflatedarticle from which the inflating, needle .iswithdrawn. Attempts have been made to minimize this problem by inflating.

at an angle, thereby increas ng he length-of the .line" of puncture and presumably also increasing sealing ge' tfective- 1, .ness. In other more elaborately '(and costly) :applic'ations the problem has been partially .met byflproviding an inwardly extending protuberance :on the wall of .the article, the protuberance being designed .to'be penetrated by an inflating needle and affording arelativelylongline of puncture. Other more complicated meanshave been provided, such .as compressed elastic members which tend to close tightly on themselves when an inflating needle is drawn from them or, special sealant chambers which must be accurately penetrated by the inflating needle.

The general object of the present invention is to accomplish the manufacture tof .hollow articles, including the final formation thereof by inflationafter preliminary forming, in such a way as to enablesealing to be achieved .more consistently than has heretofore appearedpossilile and without the costly and elaborate 'specialvalve structures which has heretofore sometimes been provided for this purpose.

The invention is illustrated below in a presently preferred embodiment. It Will be understood that this embodiment is illustrated merely by way of example and that many of the details of this example may not be necessary to the invention but are set forth in order to most fully assure the accomplishment of an adequate disclosure.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation taken partly in cross-section and showing apparatus illustrating the practice of the invention, and Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view of the central portion of the apparatus seen in Figure 1.

In the particular example of the invention which is illustrated, there is provided a table 10 from which depends a frame strap 11 and on which is positioned a collar 12. Mounted below the strap 11 is a solenoid 13 having associated therewith a solenoid shaft 14 which is adapted in a wellknown manner to be axially translated abruptly upwardly when the solenoid is energized and to be axially translated downwardly by gravity when the pressed air (not shown).

2 solenoid is de-energ'ized. For ready disassembly orpar- "t'ial disassembly, the shaft 14 may comprise sections which are releasably pinned together asshown. A pusher ,member 15 is fixed on the upper end of the solenoid shaft 14. 'The solenoid shaft 14 may be provided witha stop collar 21 which serves to abruptly terminate upward movement of this shaft and the pusher member 15. A .bell crank 16 is connected by a lost-motion pin and slot connection to the shaft 14 as at 17. The bell crank 16 is connected through a link 18 to a .second bell crank 19. The output end of the bell crank 19 comprises a pusher 120 which engages areciprocating stem 25. The stem 25 is received in a plug 2.6 which is threadedly engaged in a body or housing 27. .The stem '25 is urged outwardly by a spring 328 and its outward movement is limited by a stop shoulder 29. The limit of this outward movement can be adjusted by adjusting the plug 26 which may have a lock nut (not shown) received on the-outside thereof, if desired. The reduced inner .end of the stem 25 is received in fluid-tight telescoping relationship within a bore 30 formed in the "housing 27. Also received in this bore in fluid-tight telescoping rela- 'tionship therewith is a. second stem 31 having an annular groove or reduced portion 32 formed therein as shown; The stem 31 is provided with a stop shoulder 33 whichseatsagainst the shoulder formed by .a counter- ,bore 34. The stem 31 is urged to an inward position by the spring 36. The outward movement of the stem 31 is limitedby the plug '35 which is threadedly-engaged with the body27. The amount of outward travel of "the :stem 31- may be adjusted by adjusting the ,plug 35, as will be clear from the drawings. If desired, 'this plug -maybe somewhat extended and provided with a lock nut (not shown).

,An air passage 37 in thebody 27 communicates with an air line 38 which is connected with a. source of com- The passage "37 intersects "the bore 30 at a point where it communicateswiththe annu- Ilar groove'or reduced portion '32 when the stem 31 is in its innermost position, .as shown. An exhaust passage 39 also intersects the bore 30 at a point whereiit'communicates with the annular groove or reduced portion .32 when the stem 31 is in its.innermost position. The passage 39 is connected to an inflating needle '42, the "base of which is threadedly engaged in the body "27. The inflating needle 42 protrudes through an opening :in the pusher member when "the pusher member is in its retracted or lowermostposition, as shown.

.A third passage 40 communicates :with the There "30 and, through a one-way check valve generally indicated by the reference numeral 41, the passage 40 also communicates with a line 44 which leads from a solvent reservoir 43.

The solenoid 13 is energized by being connected to a suitable source of power by a switch 45. The switch 45 is closed upon interruption of the beam of light extending from a light source 46 to a light-sensing means such as a photoelectric cell 47, and the switch 45 is opened when interruption of the light beam ceases, all in accordance with familiar practice in the art of light-sensitive controls.

When an air envelope 50 consisting essentially of a resin and non-volatile plasticizer therefor is placed on the collar 12, the air envelope being in its uninflated condition indicated in solid lines in Figure 1 and the position of the parts being the same as that shown in the figures, the air envelope is penetrated by the inflating needle 42 and inflating air is admitted into the air envelope. When the air envelope has been inflated sufiiciently to interrupt the beam of light between the light source 46 and the light-responsive control means 47, the switch 45 is closed and the solenoid 13 is energized,

causing the pusher 15 to kick upwardly and also through the linkage 16, 18, 19 causing the stem 25 to be shifted to its inner position. Solvent is trapped under pressure within the passage 40 and the-communicating portion of the bore 30 since the one-way check valve 41 will 36. When the stem 31 is sufliciently retracted, a portion of the trapped solvent is relieved through the passage 39 and is ejected through the needle 42. Any partial pressure relief thus effected may momentarily tend to allow the stem 31 to move inwardly, but to the degree that the passage 39 is cut off by the leftmost end of the 5 stem 31 (as itis viewed in the drawings) then to that 'extent is pressure re-established by the continued inward movement of the stem 25, resulting in continued expressing of solvent through the needle 42 until inward move- 7 Qme'nt of the stem 25 is'substantially completed. All of this takes place in a brief interval, but the expressing of solvent through the needle 42 is of sufiicient duration to encompass the time during which the end of the needle is being withdrawn from the wall of the air envelope.

Since the solvent is deposited in the line of puncture :rnade by the needle and since such depositing occurs at the precise time that the needle is withdrawn from the line of puncture, an unusually effective sealing action is achieved. It will be seen that this is accomplished without providing the air envelopes with inwardly extending protuberances designed to be penetrated by an inflating needle (and necessitating careful alignment with the inflating needle) and without any of the other and even more complicated means heretofore used, such as compressed elastic members which are designed to close tightly on themselves when an inflating needle is withdrawn from them, or special sealant chambers or the like.

The solvent which is ejected by the stem 25 and which is supplied from the reservoir may comprise any suit able solvent for at least one of the two things of which the air envelope essentially consists, namely a resin and a non-volatile plasticizer therefor. In this sense, the non-volatile plasticizer may itself be regarded as a species of solvent and is to be understood as included within the limitation solvent for at least one of said resin and palsticizer as used in the appended claims. As an example, in the case of air envelopes comprising vinyl chloride formulations according to procedures familiar to the art, suitable solvents which may be ejected through the needle 42 for sealing purposes include (1) triethylene chloride, (2) methyl isobutyl ketone, (3) isopropyl ether, (4) commercial white gasoline, (5) dioctyl phthalate, (6) unsaturated petroleum hydrocarbon secondary plas tieizer (Dutrex 25, Shell Oil Company), (7) polyvinyl chloride acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride 96%'+, less than 4%"vinyl acetate, (8) triethylene glycol di-(Z-ethyl hexoate), and also combinations of the above, for example (9) equal parts of (5) and (6) above, or (10) equal parts of (5), (7) and (8) above. Other solvents may also be used.

It is believed apparent that the specific example of the invention set forth above may be varied in many details without'departiu'g from the scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined in the following claims. It should be understood that the term air as used in these claims is intended to include any and all gases appropriate to the inflation of hollow articles.

What is claimed is:

l. A manufacturing method for inflating articles each of which comprises an air envelope consisting essentially of a resin and non-volatile plasticizer therefor, comprising the stems of providing a succession of said air envelopes, engaging each of said air envelopes with an inflating needle in wall-penetrating relationship, inflating each air envelope, moving apart relative to each other said inflating needle and each air envelope which it has penetrated to withdraw the inflating needle and establish a condition in which the inflating needle is separated from the air envelope, and expressing solvent for at least one of said resin and plasticizer from the inflating needle and simultaneously contacting and depositing the solvent on the wall throughout the wall penetration while the needle is being so withdrawn, said step of moving apart being carried out in response to attainment of a given degree of inflation by the air envelope. 7

2. A manufacturing method for inflating articles each of which comprises an air envelope consisting essentially of a resin and non-volatile plasticizer therefor, comprising the steps of providing a succession of said airenvelopes, engaging each of said air envelopes with an inflating needle in wall-penetrating relationship, inflating each air envelope, moving apart relative to eachother said inflating needle and each air envelope which it has penetrated to withdraw the inflating needle and establish a condition in which the inflating needle is separated from the air envelope, and expressing solvent for at least one of said resin and plasticizer from the inflating needle and simultaneously contacting and depositing the solvent on the wall throughout the wall penetration while the needle is being so withdrawn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,494,709 Roberts May 20, 1924 2,128,734 Schmidt Aug. 30, 1938 2,208,028 Harrington July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,926,705 fifarch 1, 1960 Randolph J. Dorn It is hereby certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected vbelow.

Column 4, line 18, for "stems" read steps.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of August 1960.

( SEAL) Attest:

KARL Ho AXLINE Attesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents 

